October 9, 2015
Ho‘okele A-4
Joint Spouse Conference highlights MWR, other activities Story and photos by Gaea Armour
Joint Base Pearl HarborHickam Morale, Welfare and Recreation Spouses of active duty, Reservists and retirees of all military branches and ranks attended the annual Joint Spouse Conference (JSC) on Sept. 26 held at the Historic Hickam Officers Club at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH). JSC provides a unique opportunity for spouses to meet and network with other spouses from all five branches: Air Force, Navy, Army, Marines and Coast Guard. This year’s event featured Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) activities, forums and workshops. About 400 spouses participated in sessions geared toward fitness and health, arts and crafts, cooking, entertaining, and
outdoor recreation. Trainers from Hickam Harbor Outdoor Recreation took participants out on the waters of Hickam
Harbor to learn the basics of surfing, stand up paddleboarding, sailing, snorkeling and outrigger canoe paddling. Others en-
joyed foot golf, a combination of soccer and golf, at the Ke’alohi Par 3 Golf Course. Meanwhile, some partici-
pants explored their creative side as they etched and painted at the JBPHH Arts & Crafts Center. They learned how to embellish
and personalize glass mason jars using etching creams and stencils. Other participants learned how to design and decorate their own canvas tote bags using brushes and stencil images of their choice. “Camaraderie was my favorite activity for today”, said Fenny Evers, an Air Force spouse. “I really kind of pushed my comfort zone by taking surf lessons, but the best thing is just being here with these women and men from all these different services and to get their experience; and we’re all coming together to just have fun and learn about these different Hawaii activities”. The conference ended with an expo and a cocktail hour at the Hickam Officers Club lanai where MWR and other military affiliated services presented displays of information, free goodies and giveaways.
Storytellers event to celebrate resilient Airmen Tech. Sgt. Terri Paden
15th Wing Public Affairs Being resilient is a basic necessity for Airmen serving in the Air Force. Increased deployment tempos and operating in fiscally constrained environments have created a unique set of challenges for today’s Airmen to overcome. As a result, every Airman has a story to tell. In an effort to shed light on some of the stories of success and triumph at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, the 15th Wing Total Force Leadership Development Team (TFLDT) is hosting the first JBPHH Storytellers event beginning at 8 a.m. today at the Makai Recreation Center.
The storytellers event will feature six Airmen telling their individual stories of trials and triumphs while maintaining successful, though sometimes challenging, military careers. The TFLDT is a resiliency initiative, and the organization is hosting the event as a way to add a personal touch to the resiliency concept while also highlighting the helping agencies available through the Air Force. “Being a wingman is an action verb. It’s more than just saying, ‘I’m your wingman.’ It’s about showing up and making it a priority to take care of each other,” said Tech. Sgt. Aubrey Pabon, storytellers event coordinator. “We have a unique line of work. Sometimes we spend
more time with each other than we do our own families, so we have to make sure we’re taking care of each other.” Pabon said the storytellers event will be more meaningful and leave more of a lasting impact than traditional resiliency training because people will be able to associate real people and stories with issues rather than just looking at slides and checking a box. “These stories are 100 percent real. The people are real. None of the stories are manufactured,” said Pabon. “These Airmen volunteered to highlight how they were able to turn around bad situations and flourish in life.” Pabon suggested the event is one not to be missed due to
the personal, yet honest, take on the topics. “Whether you’re a supervisor now or will be one in the future, all Airmen are responsible for taking care of each other, and this is an opportunity to learn from people’s personal experiences and learn how much support the Air Force offers. This will be an opportunity for Airmen who may be struggling with something similar to see they are not alone and there is help for them,” Pabon said. For some of the storytellers, this will be their first time sharing their story in a public setting. Staff Sgt. Cullen Babcock, who is one of the scheduled storytellers, said he volunteered because he wanted his story to inspire others.
“Things happen out of our control, but we can still succeed,” he said. “I think it would be good for others to attend because everyone can get something out of the stories that will be told. We all can. The different topics will relate to everyone. These stories will pertain to some personally, others their Airmen, and some their family.” Babcock said he encourages everyone to share their story with others, so we can each grow and learn from one another. “We are all humans first and should be there for each other,” he said. “I feel that, after this event, everyone who attends will have a different outlook on people and life in general. I am blessed and grateful for the opportunity
to help others that have been through or may go through similar situations.” In addition to the storytellers, representatives from different helping agencies will be on hand to talk to attendees who may need to speak to someone after the event. Though this is the inaugural storytellers event at JBPHH, Pabon said the TFLDT hopes to host many more in the future, including joint endeavors with the other branches. “Every Airman matters, and everyone has a story to tell,” Pabon said. The upcoming storytellers is open to Airmen of all ranks and civilians. For more information, contact Master Sgt. Kazmierski at 486-0909.